How to upgrade Cisco IOS

Before upgrading IOS, you need to obtain the latest IOS version. This is usually done by logging in at https://software.cisco.com/ and selecting your device type and version. The downloaded file must then be transferred to a flash drive of the device, usually via TFTP or FTP.

Let’s upgrade Cisco Catalyst 2960 to a newer version of IOS via TFTP. Here are the steps:

1. We need to place the image file to a TFTP server that is reachable by the switch:

2. Next, we need to transfer the file from the TFTP server to the flash memory of the switch. This can be done by issuing the copy command on the switch: